Source: US News & World Report
“Tennessee’s decision to exclude gender-affirming care for its employees is unconstitutional and discriminatory, according to a federal lawsuit brought by two people who were denied such services while working for the state. Attorneys representing Gerda Zinner, 30, and Story VanNess, 38, say the two were denied even though their medical teams deemed the services medically necessary. Zinner still works for the state as an academic adviser but VanNess has since left her position as a special education teacher after unsuccessfully appealing her case. … A program now in place in Tennessee — serving nearly 290,000 teachers, state and local employees, lawmakers and their dependents — provides counseling and psychological treatment for gender dysphoria but does not cover treatment ‘for, or related to, sex transformations.'” (05/25/23)